Chapter 227: Shifting Sands of Time
Chapter 227: Shifting Sands of Time
After that one talk, there wasn’t much that went on. It was strange. Such an intense conversation should logically lead to something greater, but in the end, it simply fizzled out.
Of course, the consequences remained.
At this point, those she’d talked with could no longer see her as a mere child. She was, of course, still a child in their eyes, but a child with a heavy burden and great power.
The dynamic was different than that with John, who treated the Mystics as lesser. While he had respected them, to him, they were still [Characters], and his existence was still older than theirs. He was less powerful, yes, but power was almost meaningless to someone like him.
Prota, on the other hand, was still young. She wasn’t fully mature, either. John wasn’t mature, but that was because he chose to be immature. He had seen the world. Seen the minds of people, seen greed, love, passion, evil, good, all sorts of things, and so he was confident in many things.
Prota, on the other hand, was just now figuring things out for herself.
So, in that regard, the dynamic was a little different.
Anta had also realized there were likely going to be many consequences to their actions. For one, Prota was either greatly admired or feared. Her display of power had spread throughout the school, and it was only natural to see someone of this sort in a different light.
Her calm school life wouldn’t be nearly as calm as she wanted it.
Still, it also meant no one would ever mess with her again. She’d done what John had done, just on a much larger scale, and without seeming like a gangster who enjoyed violence as a first option.
But that wasn’t what Anta was worried about.
“The exams,” Anta muttered. “They’re… going to change.”
“...hm?”
“See, in our past life, John was considered a mild threat, but his powers weren’t actually that strong. And since you weren’t that strong either, at least in your first year, the level of cultists was prepared accordingly.”
“Ah.”
Now, however, Prota had openly revealed her strength. It wasn’t like the cultists were targeting her specifically, so she didn’t need to worry about being actively attacked, but she would be factored in when the cultists started attacking the school.
Still, come to think of it…
“They never really did anything. I think Sofya ended things- wait, no. That’s not true. Hikari… was a cultist.”
Prota felt a shiver run down her spine.
Hikari.
“That one might be an issue. If it comes to it… we’re going to have to take him down ourselves.”
Prota nodded.
~~~
Even after that, Checkov’s gun was not fired. In fact, the midterms passed with no problem at all. Prota was actually excluded from taking part for fear of disrupting the balance of the exam.
However, she still wanted a test. She wasn’t here just to bum around.
“...this is a little, um. It’s…”
But she hadn’t expected this.
“The goal isn’t to win, child,” Leora said, her mana beginning to flow. “I simply wish to see what you’re capable of, at full power. Do not hold back. In return… hm. I will not use spells past the third circle, unless it is too easy for you.”
Prota nodded. Right. If that was coming from Leora, even a first circle spell would be hard to deal with.
Unless…
“Full power?” Prota said quietly.
“Yes. Please, show me everything you’re capable of.”
“...barrier.”
“I’m… sorry?”
“Barrier. No one can watch. Don’t let anyone come in.”
“That- that is doable.”
Quickly a barrier was set up. It didn’t look like much, but Prota could feel the mana that had been put into the spell, so she was satisfied with it.
Anta had already given her permission for this, so…
“Ok. Time to fight.”
Once again, two souls resided in the body simultaneously. One red eye. One blue eye.
“Wait, that form-”
“Here I come!”
Anta charged forward as Prota immediately cast Hellscape. Using a fire based domain against a phoenix was a bold move, but her ice wasn’t quite strong enough to resist Leora’s flames. But with this domain, being able to sense the fire mana…
That would be a bonus.
Prota quickly formed an armour of flames, using its properties to create an updraft that boosted Anta’s speed. They quickly reached their target, Anta’s arm wide open, prepared to unleash a powerful swing.
“Wait, that’s the movements of a fighter-”
“Yep! You said to go all out!” Anta exclaimed, grinning fiercely. “Did you really think Prota was just a caster?”
Leora immediately backed off, summoning a set of white fireballs.
White flames.
Prota was aware of their existence. But, truth be told, she didn’t care for them. Her blue flames were enough, and she took pride in the spells she’d made.
Wasting effort on a more powerful fire was of no importance to her.
Anta leapt away as Prota created a barrier of flames, taking in the fire and spitting it back out, forcing Leora to respond in kind. Hellscape, her more powerful fire domain, was meant to slowly chip away at the enemy’s health, but it seemed Leora was unaffected.
Well, that was fine.
“Hm… fascinating. Such a style would give even a young Mystic problems. Combined with your excellent mana control and fascinating spells… you say I taught you?”
“Nn. Taught me casting.”
“I’m rather proud of myself, then.”
Three fire arrows zipped by Anta, who dodged them with a little effort this time around. Prota managed to fire back, her focus unbroken by the combat going on around her body. Still, she was using flames against a phoenix.
This wasn’t going to work.
Leora seemed to know this as well.
“Child. Is there… something you are trying to prove?” she said, confused. “This will not work. I understand that a stronger amount of mana may pierce through, but there are other ways to-”
She was forced to stop speaking as a Plasma Disk formed instantly, spinning toward her at a dangerous speed. This one wasn’t blockable. The phoenix moved to the side as the spell spun past her, then fizzled out before it could do any damage to the surrounding buildings.
“I see.”
Leora’s eyes flashed as a volley of fire arrows formed above her. For any student in this school, it should have been like staring at death itself.
“I was taking things too easily, I fear.”
They shot forward, not to cover an area, but all homing in directly on Anta. She dodged, but the spells turned around, following her even with her enhanced speed. Prota tried to block, but the attempt failed, and Anta was on the run once more.
“Then, a final test. We shall see what you can do about this,” Leora called out.
Anta glanced back, and her eyes widened in fear.
A second volley of arrows.
“Please, do your best.”
Surrounding her. Dozens of arrows, all likely lethal, all homing in on her exact position.
The spells were unblockable.
They were undodgeable.
Then, there was only one option left.
“Prota.”
“Nn.”
The world went dark.
Vision was no longer necessary. Prota could feel it around her.
[Spells]
She hadn’t pulled this out against the students she’d fought, since there were numerous issues with showing this skill publicly. But, from the start, she had planned to try and use this skill here.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
That was why she’d asked for a barrier.
[Spells] surrounding her. [Ground] beneath her feet. [Leora] standing, likely watching, although Prota couldn’t tell. A [Barrier] surrounding them.
She could do this.
It wasn’t like trying to convert mana. She didn’t have to look at each individual spell and analyze their structure. To begin with, there was no structure.
[Spells] were just made of [Mana]. And she could take [Mana].
Suddenly, everything went quiet.
“...what… just what are you?”
Prota’s vision slowly came back to see an empty battlefield. It seemed dark in comparison. What had happened?
“That… you…”
She looked down.
The mass of flames had gathered in her hands, shining so bright that the rest of the battlefield had turned dark in comparison. The mana hadn’t gone into her core.
She’d simply wielded it herself.
“...one more attack,” she said quietly.
The orb slowly came up, hovering just in front of her finger. She made a finger gun, aiming right at the Mystic.
“Bang.”
A small, thin white line was drawn across the field. Leora’s eyes widened just before forming an incredibly strong barrier, but even that cracked as the spell hit the shield.
There was a loud cracking noise, and the ground almost shattered under the force of the spell. Dust kicked up, obscuring everyone’s vision, but Prota knew.
The test was over.
When the dust settled, the barrier had been taken down, and Leora had a shaky smile on her lips.
“You… I understand,” she said quietly. “Saving the world… I don’t quite understand what you have to save. But with that kind of power, I believe you can save it.”
“...thank you. But you’re wrong.”
Leora looked up. The girl was still two souls in the same body, the red and blue mixing together in disharmony. From the tone, it was likely the soul, Anta.
“It’s not enough. But we’re getting there.”
“Not enough… ha. What a ridiculous opponent you must be up against.”
“You’re right.” Anta looked up, staring at the bright winter sun. “He is pretty ridiculous. But then again, isn’t everything?”
~~~
Sofya and Lupin were a little more than surprised that they’d been called to a meeting. The topic was obvious. After all, while the two were colleagues, they weren’t ones to share a social setting just for the fun of it.
But given that it was Leora who had called them, there could really only be one thing they’d discuss.
“That girl… is dangerous.”
Those four words sent the room into an immediate standstill. They hadn’t even had time to pour tea.
Lupin leaned forward. “Leora. I understand that her words are convincing, but does that really mean-”
“No. I speak not of her past, of her words, of anything. I experienced it first hand. You could wipe my memory of our previous conversation, and I would be of the same opinion.”
Leora showed no signs of hesitation. There was no cloudiness to her eyes, no leniency in her tone, just straightforward sincerity.
“...very well. What is it that makes you think this is so?”
“I fought her. It was meant to simply be a test. I did not use anything beyond third-circle spells, although I will admit, I wound up fighting harder than I meant to. She isn’t just a caster. She is a battle mage. No, not even. It would be more apt to call her a Fighter and Caster. Both, simultaneously.”
“Both?”
“The soul. Anta. Both are capable of occupying the body. But… they are also capable of occupying the body at the same time. The soul must be well-versed in Fighting, as demonstrated in our test. However… there were also spells of high calibre being cast as well. Two souls, both conscious, fighting at the same time.”
Lupin nodded. “I would like to test her myself, then.”
“Perhaps. It would be in our best interest, I believe.”
Sofya cleared her throat. “Then the girl-”
“Won. A seventh-circle barrier. That was what was needed to defend against her last attack. We are all aware that her mana control is excellent, yes?”
There were slow nods.
“It is incredibly excellent. I believe her when she says she fought Mystics in her past life. She understands the firepower we can exert, and the firepower needed to hit us. The spells she’s shown… I believe those aren’t her strongest.”
“What?” Sofya exclaimed. “You’re saying a practical domain of that strength, a spell of that size, that’s not her full strength? Leora, do you understand what you’re saying? There are very few archmages to ever exist, and they usually only become that way near the end of their lives. If that girl-”
“Archmage?” Leora laughed gently, although her expression was visibly nervous. “I don’t think that girl plans on stopping at the level of archmage.”
“...Leora, are you saying-”
“That truth she spoke of. She definitely attained it.”
“Leora.” Lupin’s tone was deadly quiet. “What did she do?”
“I understand why the students called her a demon. If I didn’t know better, I might have as well. She… she absorbed the mana of my spell. Not mana from my core. The spells I cast vanished. Turned back into mana. And were under the control of that girl.”
Silence.
Such a statement was absurd.
To begin with, it was insane that a mortal could wield Soul Steal, but the girl had visibly demonstrated it before. But to absorb the mana of a spell?
There was magic to counteract spells. There were methods of weakening a spell’s effect. There were even ways of negating magic within a field, with the use of magic circles.
But absorbing a spell directly?
“Wait, what do you mean-”
“I mean, I casted well over twenty Fire Arrows, and they didn’t vanish. They were absorbed. By that girl. And concentrated into a single attack.”
“The attack you- I see,” Sofya sighed. “Such a thing… I believe I understand.”
“You do?”
“The true understanding of a dragon’s power is still unknown,” Sofya explained. “The means by which Soul Steal and Draconic Speech work has yet to be studied, mainly due to the fact that dragons do not care to research magic.”
“Then you-”
“I have yet to figure it out, either. However, I do believe I understand that Soul Steal is something that exclusively works on mana cores and souls. The proof of this is that we cannot directly alter mana. The means by which we use it is the same as any other being: convincing it to shape itself in our will.”
“And that girl forcibly moves it… I think I understand what you mean.”
“Yes. The power that girl wields… is not Soul Steal. It is similar. But the small difference is incredible.”
It wasn’t said, but everyone in the room understood what Sofya was getting at.
As far as Mystics and dragons knew, Soul Steal was the ability to draw mana from one’s mana core, and if possible, one’s soul. However, that power was restricted to a mana core and soul. Additionally, the clause of taking “from a core” was important. Dragons did not have control over mana. Ultimately, they cast spells the way anybody else did. Their innate understanding and sizeable mana cores just made it so they could use chantless casting.
But Prota’s methods were slightly different. If she could draw mana from spells, then the restraint of taking it “from a core” no longer existed.
Her power was simply “taking mana.”
A power that, in theory, rivalled the goddess’s abilities.
“What we spoke of here. It cannot leave this room,” Leora insisted. “It absolutely cannot be heard by anybody.”
“But that girl’s goals… it seems she was telling the truth, then.”
“Indeed. A conceptual power… I wonder what her power is, then.”
“Hm. We are hypothesizing into a realm we couldn’t even dream of. Perhaps… perhaps it is best to simply leave her be.”
The room went silent, but the agreement had been made.
The world they once knew, the world that was ruled by Mystics and dragons, was crumbling around them as they spoke.
~~~
Again, the months passed by without event. Briar joined the group once more, and Prota was glad to see she was the same as always. There was still the matter of her grandfather, but that would be resolved in the second year.
She attended the Valentine’s Day ball again, but with no Draco to mess things up, she was able to munch on the snacks without interruption. Lilith and Ryan were there as well, making it a fun party with no unintended consequences.
However, as the weather grew warmer, it was also time to realize that something was coming up. Something that couldn’t be avoided.
“The finals… we didn’t tell Sofya about the cultists, so we’re going to have to deal with things ourselves.”
Prota was sitting on her bed, while Anta was in her soul form, writing on a piece of paper. Where that paper had come from, Prota wasn’t sure, but she’d seen Zero do something similar, so she didn’t question it.
“There’s going to be a lot of unknown variables. Of course, we know some things we didn’t know last time.”
The biggest variable was understanding the reason behind the incident.
Knowing that Hikari was a traitor made things somewhat interesting. It was definitely a crucial piece of information, but being able to use it in a way that mattered was a different matter entirely.
Their strengths involved magic circles. That much was easy to understand. The barrier that prevented threats from coming in would be compromised, preventing outside communication while also preventing the Mystics from coming in to help.
Of course, this shouldn’t be an issue if everything went the same as it did in their past life. After all, the students have safety charms that would teleport them out if needed.
There were two variables, however, that changed things.
The first was Prota’s strength.
The second… was Hikari themselves.
“Seriously… if only we knew their motives,” Anta sighed.
In their past life, Hikari hadn’t attacked on school grounds. They’d only interfered because John and Prota had gone for the Wynton household, which Hikari had been using.
But now that Prota had no need to go there, how would things change this time around?
They knew why Hikari was doing what they were doing. But their goal…
“We never figured that out. The cat died before they could actually do anything serious.”
And because of that factor, they had no idea how that would affect the next variable:
Prota.
Her displays of strength had solved some issues, but they would definitely raise some as well. Both she and Anta had been aware of this issue, and simply hadn’t factored it in until now. This was a serious oversight, but it wasn’t like anyone had bothered to correct them.
Then, the combination of these two variables raised the question:
What was going to change?
“Hm… it’s not like we’re going to encounter an opponent we can’t fight,” Anta mused. “Given our performance against the students, they’re probably going to assume we can’t- well, no. You used that spell… ugh. I should’ve said something back then.”
Well, there was no point in regretting it now. They could only look forward.
The main concern was not what would be sent after Prota. Unless Hikari themselves came, there shouldn’t be any cultists available who could defeat her.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Prota hadn’t seen everything. Although she had returned to the past, it wasn’t like she’d experienced everything there was to experience.
However, it was a fair assumption to make.
“Still, the point remains. We have several cards up our sleeve. They don’t know that we can fight with our hands. They don’t know that we can deal with one-on-one fighting. The assumption is probably that we specialize in ice magic, and Soul Steal is also a factor. If we just balance those things out… it should be ok.”
Prota nodded. As usual, combat wasn’t the problem.
It was the consequences that were difficult to deal with.
“Hikari’s intentions, here… shoot.”
“Hm?”
“Prota. We were saying that Sofya’s interference… it was because of John, right?”
“Nn.”
“But… she was very clearly the final boss. Destiny was there. On the other hand, Destiny wasn’t even present when we fought Hikari. He found out about it in passing. But…”
Anta’s eyes widened in fear.
“Oh. Oh, no.”
“Anta?”
“The [Story]... just how much was changed?”
“I don’t-”
“Prota, think! John’s existence, his interference, they were all accounted for! This world was already changed! He always thought the [Author] was messing with things on the spot, but no! Our creation was planned for long before the [Story] even started. Diaboli had been planning this out for way too long for this to be a spur of the moment change.”
“But Doctor-”
“What if he was never meant to exist? What if Sofya was never meant to do anything at all?”
Anta froze.
“What if… this entire story was revolving around John the entire time?”
Prota realized what Anta meant.
It made sense.
The events lined up too cleanly. The methods in which John could retrieve [Deus Ex Machina] lined up too perfectly. He’d always claimed that this was just how the [Story] worked, but wasn’t the [Story] ultimately the machinations of the [Author]?
Instead of this world revolving around Destiny…
Wasn’t it more like it was revolving around John instead?
“But if this world also existed without John, then its direction just have changed significantly. And if we think about it, the progression of everything is terribly, off,” Anta muttered. “As if the difficulty was adjusted specifically for John’s strength… which, I guess, makes sense. But then what would the logical progression be?”
After some brainstorming, the list was as followed:
Instead of Doctor, it was Breaker who was meant to be the enemy. The situation with the chimeras wasn’t even meant to exist.
In Scholaris, it was probably Destiny’s duty to fight Draco and any retainers he brought, or perhaps Draco in a demonic form. Then, the rest of the Mystics as well as the headmaster would stop Hikari.
In the land of the Mystics, it was probably Destiny’s job to snap Kit out of her trance, which would be weaker since the prince wouldn’t have [Deus Ex Machina] energy. Kit could deal with things from there, and Elder Kang Loy wouldn’t be controlled, either.
Then, after training, it would be the Demon King. Not Celeste disguised as Diaboli, but whoever the Demon King was originally meant to be.
“Then… our question still isn’t answered,” Anta muttered. “What is Hikari’s goal here?”
Prota shrugged.
“Anta. If… if it was revolving around John, um…”
“...what?”
“John isn’t the one looking for [DEM]. Right? That’s, um… that’s us now, right? So then the [Story]...”
She stopped there, but Anta already understood.
If John wasn’t finding [Deus Ex Machina] energy anymore, then would the point of view continue to follow him?
Or, would it follow Prota?
The answer to that question was impossible to find, even for Anta.
In the end, they could only wait.
And hope.